Mermaid Prince
by GarryxMrChairFan
Summary: It's said that a mermaid's eyes are what capture a human's affections. Seems that his human emerald-green eyes have the same effect on the ocean-blue-eyed Prince of the Sea. MakoHaru BL based on "The Little Mermaid." Fairy tale!AU, OOC.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back, and this time I'm back with a brand new fandom: _Free!, _the absolutely most adorable anime I've seen. In 2013. Seriously, I adore each and every one of them. I can't wait for a second season.

This is a MakoHaru fic based on _The Little Mermaid. _This is my OTP. For _Free!_, at least. *kittyface***  
**

**Customary Disclaimer: **Any and all recognizable _Free! _characters (c) Kouji Ouji. Just like the demons and shinigami, I do not own the swimmers. I wouldn't mind owning them, however. _The Little Mermaid _(c) Hans Christian Andersen, for he was the first to have the idea for the story, with props to Disney for a fun movie. Cover image belongs to **BulletDive **on ZeroChan and is the image that inspired this fic.

Enjoy!

* * *

_The color of a mermaid's irises is the purest hue you will ever see of that particular color. A mermaid's beauty and allure is contained within its eyes, and once glimpsed can be near impossible to forget or escape. _

_Be wary, for that is how it will drag you to your death at sea. _

. . .

Up until _that _day, there wasn't much – if anything, really – that five-year-old mermaid prince Haruka found interesting other than the water in which he dwelled.

To little Haru, the calm currents and cool temperature of the ocean were all he ever really needed. While those that he was, in his mind, forced to be around found their curiosity piqued by the other sea life, the adventure of exploring the undersea caves and even on special occasions the human life above the waves, Haru simply disregarded it as a meaningless waste of his time that could be spent simply drifting along with the meandering tides, body and tail gently caressed by the subtle waves as he let himself be carried anywhere and nowhere all at once.

Unfortunately, the two others that he typically found himself the company of – a bright blond merboy with a coral pink tail and bright rose eyes to match named Nagisa, and Nagisa's total opposite in a dark blue-haired merboy with intense amethyst orbs framed by bright red rectangles and a dark violet tail named Rei – were always insisting that the grey-tailed, cerulean-eyed prince accompany them on Nagisa's impulsive adventures to the very outskirts of their underwater kingdom. Well, Nagisa was always insisting; Rei always liked Haru's attitude about it, but was too afraid of upsetting the blond merboy to refuse him.

And _that_ particular day started out no different: he was dragged along, impassive expression on his visage as he floated leisurely behind his "friends", tuning out the blond merboy's incessant chatter and the amethyst-orbed merboy's stuttering exclamations of indignity at the teasing, simply feeling the water around him as they headed away from their undersea kingdom and upwards towards the surface world, which admittedly was forbidden – especially to the heir of the throne – but that never seemed to stop anyone.

"Come on, Rei-chan! I've always wanted to see a human or two!" Nagisa was always so hyper and loud, shooting through the waves like a torpedo. Haru wasn't quite sure whether he could ever be contained.

"Nagisa! Wait for us!" Oh, right. The _only _person the rose-eyed merboy would listen to. Rei adjusted his slightly large frames and took off after Nagisa. "This is dangerous! We're not supposed to be out this far!"

Haru continued to float along behind them, observing as the hyper blond turned to wait for them, a big smile stretching his face. Rei had finally caught up to his side, a very put-out expression on his features, and Haru could sympathize, though his countenance remained impassive. He found manipulating more face muscles than necessary simply to convey emotion too much work.

He was quite an unusual five-year-old. Not that he cared.

It wasn't too much longer before the trio broke the surface and saw the light baby blue of the sky, the fluffy white clouds and the brilliantly happy sunshine of noontime. Haru gazed around apathetically, absentmindedly noting Nagisa's wide gasping grin and Rei's more controlled expression of muted interest. What really caught his cerulean eyes were the stirring white-blue waves. Always spending time under them, Haru was captivated by the beauty of their movement on the surface, the push and pull and the dance they performed with one another. It was just as calming to watch as to experience from below.

It was the first time Haru had seen dolphins, too. He watched mesmerized as two playfully leapt from the water a ways away. Seeing their graceful arcs, Haru, for the first time in his life, swam with purpose, following the grey creatures as they enjoyed themselves. Watching their movements, Haru narrowed his orbs slightly and dove under the water, building up his speed before leaping out of the water, perfectly mimicking the arc of the dolphins and sliding back into the water just as gracefully.

"Whoa~! I didn't know Haru-chan was a dolphin!" Nagisa was wide-eyed, and Rei actually looked fairly impressed. "Do it again!"

And Haru did, though not because the coral-tailed blond had told him to; Haru found a certain calming freedom in entering and exiting the water, the movement as languid as simply floating along. He found he didn't mind the extra exertion of pushing himself forward, using his tail to propel himself out of the water and curving it to match the dolphins. His eyes brightened ever-so-slightly when he noticed that his tail was the exact color of the graceful creatures. Perhaps Nagisa was onto something when he'd called Haru a dolphin.

. . .

It was close to evening when the day became _that _day.

Haru had swum alongside the dolphins, Nagisa watching in wonder a bit before dragging a reluctant Rei around, exploring the sea life and caves right below the surface. They all subconsciously kept each other in sight, Nagisa not wanting to lose Haru more than he already was. Haru had travelled quite a ways in his playtime with the grey creatures, and it was starting to get rather cold above the waves, despite the hot summer day. The sky was slowly darkening, the giant golden sphere in the distance beginning to kiss the horizon.

It was about then that Haru saw it: a large wooden ship, the mast swaying in the faint breeze and soft candlelight emitting from the small circle windows below the deck. From his distance, he could just make out a few human figures moving about on the top, one at a wheel, one looking to be pushing something around, and a smaller figure leaning over the edge, peering into the darkening waters.

Uncharacteristically curious, Haru swam closer to the ship, silently moving through the deep blue waves to see better. When he was at the ship's stern, he slowed his movements more, letting the current carry him around the side of the ship. He was on the side the smaller figure was peering over, and he could now see it was a young boy, not much older than Haru, with a mop of dirty blond-brown hair and a wide, wondrous smile showing off small white teeth.

"It's so blue!" Haru heard the boy exclaim, and his voice was gentle and filled with an obvious childish innocence, the amazement at the ocean emanating from every pore. Haru felt his lips twitch in a smile at his captivation, knowing the feeling.

A sharp wave his the vessel about then, causing the ship to rock violently and throwing Haru away from his hidden place in the ship's shadow and right in front of the boy, who was gripping the railing tightly, an expression of fear on his face. When the ship settled, and Haru had shaken the water from his eyes, he glanced back at the boy to see him staring wide-eyed at Haru, his mouth agape in an admittedly adorable 'O' shape. Haru himself remained impassive, simply staring back. He looked the boy over, seeing the ragged brown trousers that were cut and frayed at the boy's thin knees, the too-big off-white cotton shirt hanging off his skinny shoulders, and his mess of hair falling into his dirty face. Then Haru saw the boy's eyes, widened once again in shock.

Haru froze in the water, his breath catching in his throat and his own eyes widening. The boy's irises were a deep crystal green, shining brilliantly in the fading sunlight, and Haru was sure there wasn't anything – crystal, gem, or even another merperson's eyes – that were _that _shade of captivating green. He was rooted to his spot in the water, simply gazing into the clear orbs.

"What's your name?"

Haru blinked at the unexpected question, coming out of his stupor and returning his expression to impassiveness, though with the gentle smile of the boy, he was sure the boy could see his interest in his cerulean orbs. "Haruka," he replied in a high monotone, "but I suppose I prefer 'Haru'."

The boy's smile, if possible, grew wider and more warming. "I'm Makoto," he said, waving slightly. "It's nice to meet you, Haru-chan."

"Drop the '-chan'." Haru was already annoyed at the fact that he had a pretty girly name and that Nagisa insisted on calling him '-chan' – though he'd given up with getting the hyper blond to drop it – and hearing Makoto say it, so tender and kind and _friendly, _made him blush for reasons he wasn't quite sure of.

Makoto chuckled happily. "Sorry, Haru. I'll try to remember." He leaned against the rail again, folding his arms and resting his head on top. "You have really pretty eyes, Haru," he murmured quietly, causing Haru's blush to intensify. "Like the ocean. I don't think I've ever seen that color blue before."

Haru huffed, tossing his head to cover his cheeks with his raven-black hair. "It's a mermaid thing," he muttered, frowning in annoyance at the _maid _part. He looked back into Makoto's eyes and stared. "Well, I thought it was." He paused before continuing. "Makoto's eyes are a green I've never seen, even on a mermaid."

Makoto laughed again, and Haru found he really liked the sound. "Does Haru think I could be a mermaid, then?"

Haru simply stared. "Perhaps."

Makoto looked off into the distance, watching the waves crash. "I think that'd be pretty cool." He looked back at Haru. "I'd get to swim with Haru, then, ne?"

Haru looked away again and silence fell until a deeper voice called to Makoto, telling him to come below deck to get ready for bed. The green-eyed boy sighed, smiling one last time at the mermaid prince. "See you, Haru-chan." He waved and before skipping off heard the merboy's grunt of 'drop the '-chan'.' His smile was blinding that night.

Haru stayed where he was, watching as Makoto disappeared and the ship floated off, the night air's chill brushing against his little bit of exposed torso and causing him to shiver. He turned and dove under the waves, seeing the rose-iris boy chasing after the bluenette, laughing excitedly. Rei simply looked annoyed and frustrated, but that was nothing new.

"Let's head home," he said in monotone, instantly grabbing the others' attention because of his speaking instead of his silence. "It's getting late; they'll wonder where we are."

After the initial shock of hearing the usually silent cerulean-eyed merboy, Rei nodded enthusiastically and Nagisa pouted a moment before smiling brightly and challenging them to a race back to the palace. He took off like a penguin, Rei following behind and grumbling while Haru internally rolled his eyes and glided along in the back, thinking about his encounter with Makoto. His eyes had been _so _green, and Haru was instantly taken by their hue. In fact, Makoto's smile was pretty nice as well. His general persona and aura was calming and soothing, like floating along the waves mindlessly, without a care in the world. Haru found Makoto to be a new kind of ocean: an ocean of warmth and green, and he wanted to float in it.

_That _day, Haru found the second and only other thing to interest him – the only thing besides the water that could capture and keep his attention, and – he realized later that night – it was absolutely forbidden.

A human.

Makoto.

Haru hoped to see him again.


	2. Part One

"Haruka."

The sound of his name in his disapproving father's voice did nothing to pull him out of his musings; instead, Haru fought the urge to visibly frown and continued aimlessly floating about, ignoring the overbearing merman as he lazily swished his tail about, gently propelling himself around his room.

The merman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're almost of age, Haruka," he said wearily, glaring at his son. "You need to stop this…" He struggled for words a second before simply gesturing in Haru's general direction, "… whatever it is and start focusing on your duties as the heir to the throne."

Haru threw him his signature impassive gaze, conveying with his silence his thoughts on the situation.

"This is what I mean, Haruka!" the king exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "All you do is float around and stare dispassionately at anything and everything! It's not like we're all mind readers!" He huffed. "I need to know that you're ready to take over the kingdom, and with your lack of input, I just don't see it happening."

Haru stared again, character as stoic as ever. How his father could glean _I don't want to be the heir _from it, he wasn't sure. He was making his opinion perfectly clear. Kicking his tail again, he spun over from floating backwards to actively propelling himself forward, letting his mind wander back to more important things. Like Makoto.

It had been almost thirteen years since he'd seen the green-orbed boy gazing into the ocean with fascination; he couldn't help but wonder if he really would ever get to see him again. He also wondered if Makoto even remembered him – then immediately dismissed that notion. Makoto had looked into his eyes, and anyone who looked into a mermaid's eyes was forever captivated and drawn in by the soul-bearing color and purity. Some sort of ancient mystical magic or something; Haru never cared to learn _why _his eyes trapped people or _how _it actually worked, he just knew they _did. _

He was vaguely aware of his father still grumbling about his less-than-adequate heir-to-the-throne abilities and again had to stop a sigh. Thinking about the jade-iris boy always brought out his emotions to noticeable levels and he didn't want anyone asking about his sudden change in facial expressions. No one could know of Makoto, least of all his anti-human father – there wasn't any telling _what _he'd do if he found out Haru had practically fallen for a human boy and would rather spend time with him than with his own kind.

Finally, the merking simply sighed in resignation. Whether Haruka had actually absorbed anything he'd said or ignored it all, he couldn't tell, and he'd had enough of his son's impassive apathy. He pinched the bridge of his nose yet again. "If nothing else," he sighed, glancing one last exasperated time at his merboy, "be sure you make it to the ceremony tonight." He chuckled humorlessly, rolling his turquoise eyes. "It _is _for you, you know. Whether you want this or not, the kingdom still wants to recognize you as officially taking responsibility." He snorted, heading for the exit of Haruka's room. "It would be in your best interest _not _to be late."

With that, he was gone, and Haru finally let that sigh escape, long and drawn out.

"Haru-chan~!" The blond merboy's voice carried to him through the currents, bright and cheerful as always. A moment later, Nagisa's mop of hair came through the entry to his room, followed by his coral pink tale and an exasperated cobalt-haired merboy shoving his red frames back up his slender nose. "You'll never guess what Rei-chan and I just heard about!"

Haru returned to his aimless floating, waiting for the hyperactive blond to tell him exactly what they supposedly heard about with gravely exaggerated details.

Rei grunted, rolling his violet orbs. "I tell you, it's only going to get you in trouble if you intend to pursue baseless rumors."

Nagisa huffed, giving his signature pout. "But Rei-chan! Who starts random rumors about a ship sighting?" he argued, Haru perking up nearly imperceptibly. "It's not _that _uncommon. Besides, I heard it's supposed to be one of those really grand ships! _And _that there'll be fireworks and music and all kinds of neat stuff going on! The celebration is gonna be made up of the entire town up there!"

Haru could see the burning curiosity for the world on land in Rei's royal purple irises as he huffed and turned from his blond friend, obviously unwilling to admit he did indeed find any type of human goings-on _neat. _Haru himself found his own inquisitiveness piqued at the thought of human celebration – it _had _to be better than the boring ceremonies and monotonous, passive speeches the high ranks and his father would be giving in his honor. Plus, he hadn't been to the surface since _that _day; he missed moving with the graceful dolphins and watching the waves dance from above. There wasn't much of a decision to make, in his mind.

"Let's go. It'll be more fun than that ceremony."

The stunned silence that interrupted the stuttering, half-hearted retort Rei had been shooting back at Nagisa was deafening as two sets of intense-colored eyes turned on the cerulean-iris merboy, twin gaping mouths flapping unattractively as the blond and cobalt-haired friends attempted to wrap their heads around the fact that their stoic friend had not only spoken, but also _agreed _to the blond's crazy proposition, even going as far as to include a _sentence to justify himself_. Quite frankly, calling them _shocked _was a gross understatement. Haru simply gazed uninterestedly at them.

The ear-splitting quiet was broken by the blond's squeal of joy after a solid five minutes, his slight yet muscled arms worming their ways around Haru's neck and forcing his airways to collapse. "Yay! Haru wants to go! This will be the best adventure ever~!"

Haru let his head fall to the side, attempting to remove his countenance from the golden mane that was Nagisa's hair. Rei, still slightly stupefied, examined the cerulean eyes of his friend and found he was, as always, totally serious about his decision. Sighing, the amethyst-eyed merboy shook his head in defeat and gave a small, barely noticeable upturn of his lips and proceeded to disentangle Nagisa from Haru.

"Well, now that that's all settled," Nagisa said in conclusion, clapping his hands together excitedly after finally freeing the raven-haired merboy from his death grip, "we should start making our way to the beachside of the harbor! It's quite a bit farther than I've ever travelled, but fireworks!" He flipped and started swimming away.

Rei chuckled at the energetic merboy, quickly following him as he left Haru's sanctuary, said sanctuary owner internally smirking at his friends before bringing up the rear, following the blond's exclamations of joy and liveliness as he psychically tugged his friends along to the surface.

. . .

The sun was setting on the horizon, the crystal blue sky bleeding with hues of gold, red and orange as the great ball of fire descended slowly in the distance. The fiery colors seeped into the darker cooler colors of the evening, going from hot to chilled violet and eventually to a deep, dark midnight indigo as the twinkling stars began emerging in the vast blanket of space.

The town at the edge of the ocean was gradually being lit from within by soft lighting inside homes, glowing lanterns being strung outside and grand bonfires erupting along the pristine white sand of the beach. The piers were filling rapidly as townsfolk gathered with their friends and families, the aromas of roasting meats and spices and herbs wafting through the air, enticing any passersby to stop and try it all out. Kids ran around, giggling happily, toys and kites being dragged around above their short heads as they chased one another through the streets. Jovial melodies floated though the winds, timeless dances being performed cheerily with wide grins and raucous laughter.

In front of it all, sitting majestically in the deep waters, was the grand ship _Ningyo, _the proud commanding vessel of the ruling king's fleet. Though worn from its many voyages on the rough waters, there was an aura of elegance and duty and honor that surrounded the ship, its dark paneling and towering masts with brilliant white sails sitting proudly at port, seeming to watch over the merriment and festivities of its owner's subjects.

The reason for all the festivities in the first place could be found leaning against the smooth rails on the deck of _Ningyo_, tufts of hair obscuring his lazy, gentle gaze out into the dark depths, eyes shining with the gaiety of the town. A soft smile played on his lips as he listened to the joy of his town, the pleasant atmosphere practically tangible around him. He closed his eyes, breathing in the calming aromas of food mixed with the sea breeze, feeling the spray of the waves coat his cheeks in a thin light layer of drops.

"They're just about ready to set sail now." The high, child-like voice caused him to turn from his gazing to watch the owner of the voice – a slight, silver-locked boy with big baby sky blue eyes – amble up to his side. The smile on the boy's face was broad, reaching from one ear to the other. "On your orders, of course."

He smiled back in kind, looking back out over the vast expanse of ocean. "Then let's get out there," he replied, turning to catch the attention of the navigator and give him the signal, "before someone accidentally sets off those fireworks."

The boy giggled, nodding in agreement. "I suppose a repeat of a few years ago should be avoided, ne?"

He nodded as well. _That _had been quite the celebration, indeed.

Not long after he'd waved at the navigator, _Ningyo _was released from her hold at the docks and gliding silently into the sea, the wakes gentle and minute. The great ball of fire had finally sunk beneath the skyline, leaving only the deep indigo of midnight swirled with a brighter, bluer sapphire and lovelier raven black and purple. The stars twinkled playfully, glinting in peripheral visions, an occasional shooting star lighting up the endless darkness.

He stared back out at the water as they made their way farther out from the shore, listening to the cheering and hollering of the near-drunk townspeople, chuckling to himself and sighing in exasperation. He was glad they were all enjoying themselves, at least – even _if _they wouldn't be remembering much of it the next morning. He turned, leaning back against the railing, propping his elbows on top and observing the merriment of his crew, hearing the bellowing guffaws and hearty snickers as they all told jokes and embarrassing stories of one another. Some had thought to bring instruments, and lively tunes were now floating through his ears, the ragged men getting up to prance around and show off their manly skills. The scene brought his own urge to move in place to the well-known dance music, his body swaying in time to the bouncy melody.

"Everyone's always in such good spirits at these celebrations, ne?" the boy mused, his silver hair swishing about his face as he tilted his head back and forth to the rhythm.

He chuckled again. "Well, it _is _a celebration; that's what they're supposed to be about."

The boy grinned and glanced over at him. "And yet you seem…" A moment of pause. "… subdued, I suppose would be the word." The boy's grin fell and the look given to him was one of friendly concern. "Are you alright? This night _is _for you, after all."

He paused, turning his head away to gaze out across the waves before looking back at the boy's blue eyes with a small smile. "I'm fine," he assured, glancing towards the lively town, watching the celebrating people mill about in the distance.

The boy continued to stare at him for a moment before sighing and turning away. "If you say so," he conceded, a small worried frown on his lips. After another moment, the boy smiled again and waved, heading off to join a group of crewmen who'd beckoned him over to join their off-key musical number.

He stood in silence for a while, simple gazing unseeingly towards the town, letting his thoughts meander as he watched memories from long ago surface and replay themselves. The one that stood out and lingered was one he'd replayed every night, etching it into his consciousness and subconscious and unconsciousness until he was sure it wouldn't ever leave him; it was one that was tinted a lovely, indescribable shade of ocean blue – deeper than the darkest sapphire, shimmering stronger than the purest cobalt, and more entrancing than the most brilliant azure: a cerulean that took his breath away and left him feeling empty and cold not being able to look into it for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes, letting the blue fill his eyelids, surrounding itself with a delicate alabaster visage and covering itself with a messy fringe of raven-black hair, becoming a set of shining irises that held an intensity that rooted him to his spot.

He was utterly, totally, _completely _lost within that blue.

He opened his eyes, breaking the trance that remembering that blue put him in and shuddering, a lovely warm feeling travelling through his body as he turned back to the ocean, letting the spray of the waves coat his face once again, breathing deeply the scent of the briny ocean water. He smiled faintly. "I miss you," he called out softly, peering with squinted eyes at the dark waters, wishing fervently that _he _were there – _him _and _his _blue eyes. "Oh, how I miss you…

"…Haru…" The name rolled near inaudibly off his lips, but it was loud enough.

"Makoto."

Those three syllables threw his entire world into slow motion as his eyes widened and his head turned, immediately locating the source of his lowly hummed name. Drifting peacefully in the inky waves was a pale chest of ivory, with dripping strands of ebony hair framing a slender face and falling into –

_Those blue eyes. _

Makoto was transfixed, his breath caught in his throat as he stared into the bright cerulean orbs that lit up the night, reflecting the twinkling stars above them and intensifying their shine. Slowly, a genuine smile made its way onto his countenance, his own jade irises softening as he took in the long-missed sight of the merboy he'd met so long ago, biting his lower lip as he read unspoken words within the sapphire eyes.

_I missed you, too. _

. . .

Haru couldn't believe Makoto was really there.

He'd seen the ship make its way out to the deep, keeping a fair distance until the darkest part of night had fallen, spending his time with the dolphins around and absently watching the blond merboy chase Rei around, before making his way towards what he eventually learned to be _Ningyo_. He'd observed the town grow livelier, hearing the shouts of joy and laughter and singing erupt from everywhere and seeing the jubilance in the dancing and frolicking of all the townspeople.

He'd made his way to the shadow of the great ship, much like he had those thirteen years ago, noticing a tall, lean figure leaning back against the railing, much like the emerald-eyed boy had done then, too. The hair was shaggier, the shoulders broader and muscles more defined, but Haru couldn't help his sense of déjà vu as he took in the young man, talking to a slimmer, shorter, more boyish silver-haired kid with electric blue eyes. He was mildly impressed at the intense color, but blue held no interest for him – save for the ocean itself, and he himself was the one with the ocean eyes.

Green was his color of preference.

When the silver-haired boy had finally run off, he waited for the other to hopefully turn around. From his angle, Haru could see a look of absentminded thought in his posture and he wondered what would make a look of utter contentment come over this young man's features. After a few silent moments, a shudder ran though his shoulders and the young man turned around, and Haru momentarily forgot how to breathe.

_Those green eyes. _

_Makoto. _

Haru couldn't believe that the young boy he'd met thirteen years ago had grown up into the young man now standing on that deck, dressed in what he determined (after practically _ripping _his eyes from the green orbs to focus on the rest of him) to be royal finery and apparently the center and reason of the whole celebration, if what he interpreted the silver-haired kid's words to mean was correct. It seemed too good – too _perfect _– to be true.

He just barely remembered to suck in a silent gasp of air when he registered his lungs burning from lack of oxygen when he stopped his breathing yet again to hear the soft words spilling from Makoto's lips.

_"I miss you. Oh, how I miss you… Haru…" _

And he was over his stupefied feeling – his name said so quietly and tenderly guided him to the perfect thing to say.

_"Makoto." _

And now he was staring directly into the deep jade of Makoto's irises, widened to the point of shocked disbelief. He could tell the young man was staring into his eyes much the same as he was – soaking up the color, basking in the feeling of it enveloping his entire being and keeping him safe and content. He knew Makoto had missed him, and he felt the same. So he let Makoto know with his eyes.

_"I missed you, too."_

"Haru…" Makoto's voice was quiet and warm, caressing Haru with invisible fingers. He didn't smile, but his blue reflected his joy at seeing the green once again.

Suddenly, their moment was interrupted by the thunderous boom of exploding fireworks. Haru and Makoto looked up simultaneously, watching with wide eyes as a myriad of colors rained through the sky – ranging from heated reds and oranges and yellows to cooled violets and greens and blues. The fireworks also had mixed bursts, some creating interesting patterns and objects and shapes, an entire kaleidoscope emerging in the dark blanket of midnight. It was utterly breathtaking.

And then the storm emerged.

The water had sneakily began to become choppy and unpleasant, dark clouds swirling on the edge of the town as the fireworks lit up the sky. The waves grew harsh, and in one moment, the calm floating of _Ningyo _turned to rough thrashing. Haru was tossed about and forced under the water while Makoto and his crew were toppled onto the deck. Screams and shouts erupted from all over, and confusion and panic began to set in. Lightning pealed through the sky, thunder rumbling menacingly immediately behind, the clouds seeming to leer down upon the celebrating town.

Striking the ship's tallest mast, the lightning managed to set the wood ablaze, cracking through the wood and causing it to splinter. The entire crew was tossed into the air on a high wave, some falling back onto the sharp jagged edges of the ship and others into the chilled water waiting to be fed.

Makoto was one of the ones to land in the water. Being forced under into the dark abyss with no prepared breath scared him, and he thrashed about, hoping to get to surface. It wasn't until he felt strong arms around his torso that he calmed, looking to see the bright cerulean eyes of the merboy staring into his own to reassure him. Beginning to lose consciousness from lack of air, he didn't immediately register that there were lips against his, forcing air into his lungs until he felt Haru's hand tug his hair harshly.

"Don't fall asleep, Makoto. I've got to get you to shore first."

Nodding faintly, still somewhat unable to comprehend much of anything, Makoto allowed Haru to pull him through the water towards the beach. It was quite a journey, as _Ningyo _had been far out and the thrashing waves had brought them even farther.

Eventually, Haru broke the surface with Makoto, the young man falling unconscious as Haru tossed him gently onto the sandy beach, several meters from any pier or dock. Pulling himself as much out of the water as he could without threatening his bottom half, Haru leaned over Makoto, worry lacing his features as he watched the dirty blond's breathing regulate, becoming less forced and haphazard. On random impulse, Haru moved a stray strand of wet hair from the tanned face, lightly letting his fingers trace the now-swollen lips of the forest-eyed young man. They'd been so soft on his, and all he wanted was to kiss them again. Taken by some unknown force, Haru carefully leaned down, ghosting his lips over the slightly stirring young man.

"Makoto!"

Haru pulled back suddenly, whipping his head to watch in put-out irritation as the silver-haired boy ran along the beach, hair dripping and clothes weighed with saltwater, shivering in the cool night air as he searched for his friend.

"Makoto!"

Knowing he couldn't stay, Haru looked down at said boy again, staring into his wide eyes as longing and a sad resignation could be seen in the never-ending green. "I have to go," he murmured, looking away with a huff.

Makoto chuckled, cupping his face. "Thank you, Haru-chan," he said simply, smiling softly. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

Haru nodded in agreement before turning and diving as effortlessly as a dolphin into the cold waters.

Makoto watched him disappear with a small grimace, listening to his friend call his name. Looking up and over, he waved half-heartedly, deciding to feign fatigue from being thrown from the ship if asked about his lack of enthusiasm. "I'm alright, Aiichirou," he said, sitting up with some difficulty. "Those were some pretty rough waves."

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright, Makoto!" the boy shouted breathlessly happily, collapsing beside the taller young man and tightening his arms around himself. "I saw the waves push you under, but I never saw you come back up. I'm glad you made it to shore!"

Makoto smiled his gentle smile, looking back out to the water. "Yes," he agreed, standing shakily and holding a hand out to Ai. "So am I. C'mon – we should go make sure there aren't any seriously injured people still milling about."

Ai grabbed his hand, pulling himself to his feet. He hesitated in following the taller teen, biting his lip. "Makoto…?" he called, unsure of his question.

The dirty blond turned to face him, a tired expression on his face. "Hm?"

Aiichirou paused once again. "Was… Was there someone with you before I ran up?" he asked finally, furrowing his brow. "I could've sworn I saw someone sitting in the water…"

Makoto blinked. So Ai had seen Haru? Or _thought _he'd seen the merboy, at least. Shaking his head, he gave another tired smile. "I don't think so," he lied smoothly, gut twisting nevertheless at having to deceive his friend. "If there was, they weren't there when I came to."

Ai nodded slowly, and Makoto could just detect a blush of embarrassment reddening his cheeks. "O-Of course!" he stuttered, rubbing his head and running to catch up to Makoto. "Must've been my imagination…"

Makoto chuckled airily. "With a night like this has been," he said, walking to the piers, "I really can't blame you."


	3. Part Two

Oh, he was in _so _much trouble.

Haru remained silent as he watched his father fume in quiet rage, simply boring icy daggers at his son with a burning fire in his eyes with his arms crossed over his muscular chest, tail swishing way too calmly as he backed his son into a corner of his sanctuary.

After several minutes of deafening silence, the merking broke it with a menacingly subdued voice. "Care to explain where you were tonight?" His eyes were hard, his mouth set in a thin line.

Breathing evenly, though he was feeling a bit of anxiety about his father's checked anger, Haru simply blinked. "I wasn't anywhere," he replied in monotone.

The glare hardened. "Not anywhere you were supposed to be," his father corrected coldly. "I thought I specifically told you to be on time to the ceremony tonight." It wasn't a query. His father dropped his arms and slammed a fist into the nearest wall, cracking the stone, small pieces crumbling from it, and causing his son to flinch involuntarily. "Why can't you just do what you're told?!" he suddenly yelled, facing Haru once again. "You're the heir to the throne, Haruka!" he continued, throwing his arms wide. "What part of that do you not understand?!'

Haru huffed, flipping his hair and crossing his arms, looking towards the wall to his left. "What part of me not wanting the job do _you _not seem to get?" he shot back, deadpan as ever. "Has it crossed your mind that maybe I don't _want _to be the heir? It's not like I came asking for the job!" That was probably the most words Haru had ever spoken in one go, and he wanted to smirk at the taken aback, dumbfounded look on his father's face.

The look, however, was quickly erased and replaced with his more typical scowl. "It doesn't matter whether you _want _it, Haruka!" his father huffed. "It's a part of who you are as my son! You were born the prince and therefore it is _you _who will take over the kingdom and lead the people!"

"Then maybe I don't _want _to be the prince!" Haru had never heard himself shout before, and he had to admit it felt sort of nice to let out a bit of emotion.

He was soon going to regret deviating from his normal emotionless façade.

"Maybe I don't want to be the one in charge, the one that has all this responsibility!" He turned his father's glare back at the merking. "You keep saying you're unsure if I'm ready – maybe I'm not! Maybe I just want to live free, going where I want with who I want and leave all this!" He threw his arms out around him, gesturing to everything. "Maybe I found something _better _out there!"

The king snorted, leering incredulously at his son. "_Better?_" he sneered. "What, pray tell, have you found that's _better? _The only thing _out there _is danger." His voice dropped low. "We're not creatures of exploration, Haruka," he said, gazing evenly at the dark-haired merboy. "You know this; the only things _out there _are threatening sea life and humans, both of which will do anything and everything to harm you."

Haru rolled his eyes, anger flaring. "What do you know about humans?" he scoffed icily. "Have you ever even _met _one? We mercreatures have always been warned against them, so we're prejudiced from birth to loathe them and avoid them." He glared at his father. "From what I've experienced, life up there is worth more than down here; at least _they _aren't afraid to live a little!" He gave a half-hearted, humorless chuckle. "And Makoto would never hurt me – he's too pure and good for that."

He realized his slip too late, immediately cursing his onslaught of emotion and biting his lip as his fists clenched.

His father was stone silent, his eyes wide and expression uncomprehending at his son's outburst. "_What?_" The single word was whispered almost inaudibly, but the tone was murderously dangerous. "You've been interacting with _humans?_"

Haru didn't bother denying it, simply shutting down and looking away from the vicious expression on his father's face.

"What are you thinking, Haruka?!" he exploded, suddenly upon his son and backing him into a wall. "You of all of us should know that having _anything _to do with humans is just begging for death!" The fire in his eyes burned hot and suddenly the water around him began to bubble. Haru's cerulean orbs widened slightly – it hadn't been since Haru was merely a child that his father's anger at him had tapped into his innate magical power that only the royal line of mercreatures possessed. Haru himself held some, though he'd never bothered with it; his nonchalant, static nature and attitude never required it of him to really bother learning.

Gods, was he wishing he'd bothered right about now.

Steeling his nerves, Haru glared up at the merking towering over him. "I'm thinking that humans are a bit better than you give them credit for!" he muttered. "Not all of them want to capture us and dissect us like a science project! Some are simply genuinely fascinated and want to be our friends!"

His father leered down his nose. "And this 'Makoto'?" he seethed, baring his teeth. "Is he one of these _genuinely fascinated _humans you claim exist?" He about spit the words back at Haru. "Humans are cruel creatures, Haruka. They do not want to be our friends. They only want to do all they can to deceive and sate their own curiosity. This 'Makoto' is no different."

Haru's glare hardened. "Makoto is better than most beings on this planet," he bit scathingly, feeling a heat coursing through his veins at the insult to the jade-eyed boy he suddenly felt protective of. "Not an _ounce _of cruelty or deceit runs through him. He's the kindest, most gentle soul I've ever seen! All he wants to be is my friend and there is absolutely _nothing _about him that would _ever _do me harm!" His fists had begun to shake violently in his rant.

The king scoffed harshly. "And how do you know so much about this human boy's intentions towards you?" he asked with a mocking, humorless laugh. "How can you be so sure his reasons for speaking to you aren't any darker than the rest of the human world? Humans are known for their lying, Haruka." He shook his head, scoffing once again. "Why do you believe he's any different? Why do you think he wouldn't lie to you to get close to you before allowing others of his kind to trap you? Why do you bother defending him? Why do you care?"

Haru snapped, the anger he felt building up at every jab at Makoto sending shocks of burning rage through his veins, every belittling comment towards the sweet, sweet boy, all the despise-filled remarks and retorts against the caring man with emerald irises that held a warmth Haru had never felt before filling the mermaid prince with outrage and resentment that he could no longer contain.

"Because I love him!"

The clash of power sent shock waves through the silent waters, the force cracking the walls and causing them to crumble and shards to fly around the pair, both sets of eyes hard and unmoving as father stared incredulously at son who gazed back with a burning passion, adamant on his feelings. The silence between them didn't last long.

"You foolish child!" The merking's voice was strained with his fury, eyes flashing dangerously. "I thought you weren't ready for the responsibility of ruling, and you've now proven me right! Falling in love with a human?!" He shook his head, his fiery anger calming almost too quickly into a deathly calm façade. He gazed at his son for a long moment.

Haru defiantly gazed back, refusing to bow to his father's animosity.

"You need to get it through your thick head, Haruka," the merking said, low and emotionless. "Humans, no matter how they initially present themselves to you, are only out for one thing. Their only goal is to capture and harm us. Falling in love with one is to forget what you truly are."

Haru sneered and lifted his chin. "Then maybe I don't want to be a merman anymore," he spat.

The king simply shook his head. "It matters not what you want," he said, turning his shoulder and heading for the door, passing smoothly over the rubble that now lay gathered at the base of the walls. "It will never work; he's human, and as much as you wish differently, you're the Prince of the Sea."

With those lovely parting words, he was gone, leaving his son to stare emotionlessly after his retreating form, fists still clenched and eyes burning with forced-back tears.

Turning to face some of the destruction of his sanctuary, Haru's ocean eyes landed on chunk of rock with lines etched into the surface, coming together to immortalize the likeness of the boy that had so captured his heart. After meeting the young jade-iris boy, Haru had floated around his room unable to remove the image of the boy's smile from his mind. So he'd chiseled it into the first surface he could. He'd always been a fairly skilled artist, able to capture a scene in his mind and transfer it to whatever he could. It was a way for him to express himself without expressing himself through facial manipulations or visible emotions, which – as his fight with his father just now had proved – were simply too much of a hassle and nothing good ever came from them.

He stooped over, gently caressing the stone, sliding his fingers under it to pick it up and examine it, determining the damage was not too terrible. He gazed at it for a long moment before hugging it tightly to his chest, staring off into nothing. "He just doesn't understand," he murmured after a moment, speaking absently to the plaque of his father. "He's never interacted with humans before, and if he has, he's only encountered those who do mean us harm." He pushed the stone away to look at his work. "He's not met one like you."

"Haru-chan!" The bright chipper voice of his blond friend was laced with urgency as the rose-orbed boy burst into his sanctuary, said rose-orbs wide with frantic worry. Rei was quick to follow, a tight-lipped frown on his lips, the same worry creasing his brow. The blond paused a few feet from his raven-haired friend, glancing around in confusion. "What happened, Haru-chan?" he inquired, looking to said merboy.

Haru looked away, back at the damage done by his and his father's tempers. "Nothing."

Nagisa whined. "Haru-chan! This doesn't look like _nothing_!" The blond threw his arms up before letting them fall pointlessly to his sides as he spoke. "You're father had the scariest expression on his face as he left, and I could've sworn I felt some concussive force come from here!"

Haru glanced at the blond merboy, staring silently for a short while. "You hang out with Rei too much," he finally stated. "You're words are too big."

Nagisa stared at him dumbfounded before a look of disbelief crossed his face. "Haru-chan! This is no time for weird jokes!" He pouted. "It wasn't even funny!" He sighed, crossing his arms. "What's wrong, Haru-chan? Walls don't usually crumble over nothing."

Rei, who'd been floating quietly, hummed in agreement and adjusted his glasses. "He's right, Haru," he said, gazing with concern at his stoic friend. "We're just trying to help."

Haru shrugged, looking away. "There's nothing to help with; we had a fight, it got a bit heated, our magic blew things up. End of story."

Rei deadpanned. "Haru, glossing over it like that isn't going to help it or make it go away," he stated, crossing his arms in a more aggressive manor. "What were you and your father fighting about?"

Haru remained quiet, unwilling to say anything on the matter, simply wanting to forget it and float aimlessly on the first current he could find to clear his head.

Rei sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Shall I start guessing?" he asked suddenly, looking back to the cerulean-eyed prince. "If you won't tell us what happened, I'll tell for you."

Haru could hear the threat – Rei was far too accurate when he theorized, whether it was equations and logic, or putting a story about an event together from the evidence lying around. He was right an astonishing ninety-nine percent of the time. He'd only ever guessed wrong about something once, but he'd been extremely close; the situation he'd summed up closely resembled the actual situation, with one minor difference in detail. If Rei said he'd tell them what happened, Haru knew he would.

The story had to come out either way, he supposed. His friends would find out one way or another. "I fell in love," he stated suddenly, looking back at the engraving in his hands. "With a human." He heard Nagisa gasp in shock and could imagine the cobalt-haired merboy's look of bewilderment as he jolted back in dismay. They both knew the rules and stories about humans, and while they were part of the few that found the land-walkers interesting, even they wouldn't go so far as to develop feelings for any of them.

Considering their feelings lie with one another, it didn't make much of a difference, but still; they understood mercreatures and humans were not to affiliate in any way.

Rei was the first to break the silence. "W-When?" he managed to stutter out, his voice cracking ever-so-slightly with his inability to comprehend what his dark-locked friend was saying. "How?"

Haru continued to stare at his engraving. "About thirteen years ago," he murmured, caressing the deeply-etched lines, "when we first went to the surface. I saw a ship and got curious, so I went to take a look. There was a boy about my age looking over and marveling at the ocean." He paused, stroking the stone absently. "He had the most entrancing green eyes I've ever seen on a human."

Rei frowned, pursing his lips in thought; Nagisa was still being unnaturally quiet. "I've never heard of a human having eyes with the power ours do," the violet-orbed merboy finally said, deciding to not fight the fact that his friend had done the unthinkable and fallen for a human and instead focus on something that may have a more logical explanation to it; emotions like love could not be theorized, no matter how much he wished he could solve them with an equation.

The silent blond merboy finally piped up. "Ne, then he must be really special for Haru-chan," he said gently, his usual vibrancy dimmed to fit the atmosphere. Rose eyes travelled over to meet cerulean. "What's his name?"

Haru looked over at his friends, his empty expression softening and a small smile turning up the corners of his lips. "Makoto." He looked back to the plaque in his hands and held it up for them to see.

Nagisa's eyes widened and he swam forward, examining it closely while Rei observed from over his shoulder. "Wow, Haru-chan~" he exclaimed, smiling up at the merprince. "I didn't know you were such a great artist! Is this him?"

Haru nodded, faint smile still in place. "He's as old as we are now, all grown up," he said, "but this is what he looked like the day I met him. Other than an insane growth spurt and build-up of muscles, he looks pretty much the same."

Rei glanced up at Haru. "Have you seen him recently?" he inquired.

Haru nodded again. "At the celebration last night," he replied, staring off into nowhere and reminiscing. "Apparently, he was the reason for the celebration."

Nagisa clapped happily. "Ne, that means he's someone important, doesn't it? Like a prince or something!" His eyes widened further. "Haru-chan! He could be your prince charming!"

Haru shrugged, not caring one way or the other whether Makoto was someone of high status or not. He didn't particularly like his own status as a prince – _the _prince – so he secretly hoped that Makoto either wasn't, or could handle it better. They remained silent for a time after that, all lost in their own musings about things only each of them knew.

"What are you going to do?"

The question came from Rei and was directed towards Haru. The raven-haired merboy looked over into the deep violet irises, simply staring quietly as he wondered what the cobalt-locked merboy meant.

"About what?"

Rei deadpanned, giving him a _look. _"About Makoto," he clarified, adjusting his frames. "What do you intend to do regarding your feelings toward him? You're different species, yours supposedly a myth where his is concerned." He leveled a look at his azure-eyed friend. "I'm not certain anything good will come of this. Do you know if he feels the same?"

Haru shot him his own look, his eyes flashing pointedly.

Rei sighed, rolling his amethyst orbs. "_Right. _A mermaid's eyes."

Haru sighed as well. "I don't know," he admitted, turning from his friends. "I just need to be alone to think for a while." He glared detached at the ground, not really seeing anything.

Rei nodded, acquiescing to his unspoken request for him and the blond merboy – who'd begun searching through the crumbled rubble along the walls while the other two discussed whatever it was they were discussing – to leave him to his own devices. Nagisa pouted a bit but let the violet-tailed merboy drag him along out of Haru's sanctuary and leave their friend in peace.

As soon as he was alone, Haru closed his ocean-blue eyes and let himself drift off his mind wandering as the once-stagnant currents picked up slightly and propelled him around, calming his nerves and settling his erratic thoughts. Soon enough, all the anger he'd felt toward his father dissipating and leaving him fatigued and slightly guilty. As much as he hated it, he _was _the heir to their kingdom and as such was burdened with the responsibilities that came with it. But he couldn't truthfully say that he wouldn't rather be with the forest-eyed boy instead of taking care of hundreds of his subjects.

Sighing angrily at himself, he flipped his tail harshly, throwing himself backwards and listening to the dull slosh of water that sounded from the movement.

"Why so upset, your Highness?"

Haru froze, looking towards the entrance of his sanctuary for the origin of the voice. Leaning casually against one of the columns was a small mermaid, her tail a bright scarlet, long matching strands of hair tied up in a ponytail with bright, fiery red-orange irises that held a deeper, more mischievous intent behind them. Her grin was facetiously innocent, her arms cross loosely across her chest as she gazed at him.

His expression remained guarded as he gave her a once-over. "Who are you?"

She chuckled and uncrossed her arms, floating into the room and circling him. "I'm here to help you," she replied, ignoring the meaning of the question. "You're in love with someone you can't have," she mused, watching him with her orange-red eyes. "You're in love with a _human._"

Haru stiffened; while their argument had been loud, he was pretty sure the only people besides his father to know he was in love with Makoto were Nagisa and Rei, and neither of them had been especially loud when speaking to him moments before. Well, possibly Nagisa, but he had seemed more subdued, so Haru really didn't think so.

She just continued to float around, dragging her hand along the rubble. "It's okay, your Highness," she reassured. "I'm not here to judge; in fact, I know a someone who can help you be with him." She looked right into his cobalt eyes.

Said cobalt eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had to admit he was curious as to who could possibly have the power to help him ever be with the jade-eyed boy. He watched her for a minute more before asking, "Who do you know that can help?" He had a feeling it wasn't anyone good, but his desire to be with Makoto was quite strong indeed.

She smiled wide and rushed towards him, grasping his hand. "I'll take you to him; he's waiting for you."

Haru felt his stomach drop, but he couldn't tell if it was in fear or anticipation. Reluctantly, he allowed the scarlet-haired mermaid to pull him through the water, feeling the gentle caress on his skin that he'd been missing as he dealt with the drama of having his father find out he'd fallen for a human. It helped to sooth him, chasing away his worries and allowing him to keep his head as the mermaid lead him towards a dark sea cave miles outside the kingdom he called his home. The ocean was now dark, the sun having gone down hours ago as they travelled, and Haru found himself repressing a shudder of anxiety as she gestured him into the cave.

Haru swam cautiously through the entrance tunnel, faint phosphorescent life illuminating the way in a deceivingly warm, green glow. He followed it around two bends before emerging in a spacious round area, outcroppings of rock jutting at tiered intervals up to the ceiling and acting as shelves of sorts. The was a corner – if round rooms could have corners – that seemed to act as a rest area and in the center of the farthest part of the wall sat a large throne-like chair, with who Haru presumed was the merman that could help him be with Makoto.

The merman was obviously the mermaid's brother: his hair was a deep crimson, hanging shaggily in his face to his chin. His toned arms rippled with muscles and his abs stood defined against his skin. At the moment, his chin was propped against one of his fists, and his blood-red tail swished lazily in front of him as he watched the merprince approach.

When Haru was close enough to see his eyes, he froze at the color – a deep sanguine wine-red so intense that Haru instinctively moved back. The sarcastic grin that spread across his visage revealed a mouthful of sharp, shark-like teeth and Haru suddenly wasn't sure he should be there. This merman resembled the description of the dark sea warlock that had been banished from the kingdom for misusing his power. In fact, it was on Haru himself that the sea warlock had misused his power.

Haru knew this merman. He'd been friends with him.

"Rin." Haru's voice betrayed the shock he was feeling, shaking in just the one syllable.

The wine-red eyes shined playfully at the admission of recognition and the smirk grew wider. "Long time no see, Haru." His deep voice slid into the dark waters, caressing the merprince's ears in ways he wished it wouldn't. "It's been, what? Almost fourteen years now?"

Haru didn't respond, as the guess was accurate. It had been a long time since the redhead had attempted to inappropriately seduce the cerulean-eyed Prince of the Sea, attempting to steal his power by robbing him of its source. Why a four-year-old Rin wanted the power and how he managed to almost succeed was still unknown to all but the merman himself. Pushing all his thoughts of the past to the back of his mind, Haru glared into the red eyes. "I've been told you can help me," he stated uninterestedly.

Rin slowly pushed himself out of his pseudo-throne, circling Haru much as his sister had done when she'd come to get him. "For a price," the shark agreed, stopping to look directly into Haru's eyes. "Transformative magic is a bitch to work properly." He rolled his eyes, scoffing as if the difficulty of the magic had done him a personal offense.

Haru eyed him. "Transformative magic?" he parroted.

The redhead nodded, grinning his infamous maniacal grin. "You're in love with a fucking _human, _aren't you?" he asked with a sneer. "To be with a human, you'll have to be a human as well."

The raven-haired prince raised a skeptical brow. "You can do that?" he wondered, a bit wary. "I thought that was only a power the royal bloodline possessed."

Rin snorted, backing away and tossing his bangs aside. "Please. Hard as hell to master does not make it exclusive to the bloodline just because it comes easier to you damn royals."

Haru processed this before shooting him another question. "What's the catch?"

The warlock's grin turned evil. "Seeing as how I'm not a full royal, my magic will only last a week," he said, heading over to the wall to dig through the many jars of questionable contents. "And," he continued, turning back to Haru with a set of – were those _human swimming goggles? _– tossing them absently, "you've gotta get him to admit his love and kiss you before the setting of the sun on the seventh night."

Haru studied him for a long moment, thinking about the offer. The fact that he hadn't left when he found out he'd been brought to see his once-childhood-friend-turned-evil-warlock proved that his want – _need _– to see and be with Makoto was not just some curious infatuation with living dangerously, but was actually something genuine and possibly pre-destined. However, the longer he gazed into those wine-red eyes, the more he felt there was one more detail he needed to ask about.

"At what price?"

Rin's smile turned sultry and he came close to Haru, leaning into his face and tracing lightly under one of his eyes. He trailed his finger down to the prince's chin, gripping and forcing the merboy's ear to his mouth.

"The color of your eyes."

Haru jerked back, staring disbelieving at the warlock. The color of his eyes had been what the young boy had been after when they were four. Haru hadn't known what was so special about his eyes at the time, other than that they attracted humans that he wasn't supposed to even be around, and he hadn't found out until much later: not only did a mermaid's eye color captivate and ensnare humans who looked into them, it held the innate magic and allure that made the species what it was. A mermaid was nothing without the color of his eyes.

The other detail that he'd only recently learnt of was that the royal bloodline had the most powerful eyes, holding the knowledge and skill of all the generations of mercreatures, dating back to ancient times. Only a select few merpeople had the gift of being able to even use magic; the royal bloodline were the ones with the ability to do so effectively and efficiently.

Rin had been an extremely gifted exception, his level of magic exceeding way beyond what he should've had. That's why he'd been taken into the king's family and taught alongside Haru and how they'd become friends. Unlike humans, the mental and intellectual maturing rate of a mermaid progressed much more quickly: while the mermaid may only look like a year old human, her cognitive abilities and maturity would already be equivalent to that of a human elementary school student. By the time they were four, they were thinking more along the lines of young adults – young adults with their impulses and fantasies and apparently envy of power.

Haru knew he should turn around, tell Rin he wasn't interested and head home. But he couldn't get the image of Makoto out of his head; he couldn't stop the warm green light from the circular room from reminding him vaguely of the green of the boy's eyes, of the calm, caring and free feeling it gave him looking into them, of the loving, tender way the boy smiled at him and stared back.

"Fine."

The shark's grin turned devilish and he chuckled deviously. "Very well," he said, holding up the goggles. "For the color of your eyes, you shall become human for one week." He began laying out the exact terms of the deal, pulling out a long sheet of enchanted parchment that had the words appearing on it as he set the outline.

"You will have until the sun sets for the seventh time to get your human to fall in love with you, admit it _truthfully,_" he stressed the last word with a look at Haru, "and get him to kiss you. If you can manage that, you'll remain human with him forever, though you will not get the color of your eyes back.

"Should you fail and the sun set, you will turn back into a mermaid and forever be without the color of your eyes." That was the scariest part of the deal; as he knew, a mermaid was nothing without the color of his eyes, but Haru couldn't think of a way to persuade the shark to allow him to have the color back.

Rin let the deal finish scribbling itself down before placing it in front of Haru and handing him an enchanted quill. "Sign on the line and you'll be with your human tonight," he purred evilly.

Haru gingerly took the quill in his hands, glancing down at the deal in front of him. Was this really the smartest decision he was ever going to make? No. But he couldn't stop himself – this was his chance to be with Makoto. Without further hesitation, he deftly inked his name in on the line, the elegance of the strokes seeming to mock him, saying that he should know better. But he didn't listen.

As soon as the last line had been drawn on his name, the warlock rolled the deal up and banished it, turning to Haru and holding out the goggles to the sea prince. "Hold them up to your eyes and just look into them; I'll do the rest."

Haru complied, carefully taking the red goggles and holding them in front of his face. He peered into the warped plastic of the lenses, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, the object started to glow, and able to see a bit of his reflection in the lenses, Haru could see his blue eyes glowing as well. Before he could marvel at it too long, he could see the cerulean pigment dulling, seeming to be sucked out by some intangible force. Focusing on the goggles, he widened his rapidly blanking eyes as the lenses filled with the color of his irises, becoming the most stunning shade of ocean azure ever to exist.

As soon as the lenses were full and his eyes were no more than a dull, empty grey, Haru felt a jab go through his lower half, straight down the middle of his dolphin-grey tail. Rin grabbed the goggles out of his hands, slinging them around his pale neck and backing up to watching the transformative magic run its course. Haru couldn't breathe because of the searing pain, and he felt as if he were being ripped in two. He just barely noticed Rin glancing over his shoulder and waving nonchalantly.

"You're friends are here; apparently they followed you." He smirked. "Faithful bastards, I'll give them that." He turned to them, snickering at the looks of horror upon the faces of the girlish blond merboy and the obvious-stick-up-his-mermaid-ass blue-haired one with glasses. "You're going to want to get him to the surface in the next couple of minutes," he called to them. "He won't be breathing underwater much longer."

With that, the shark-like merman retired to his secret chambers, leaving the three in his domain to deal with themselves. He had what he wanted.

Haru began thrashing as he felt his capability to breathe underwater fading, and no sooner had he started that when he felt hands on his arms, dragging him out of the cave and up towards the darkened night sky and surface. Nagisa and Rei held their burning questions as they struggled to get their friend somewhere out of harm's way.

Breaking the surface of the ocean, Haru gasped loudly, taking in big gulps of the air he was never going to take for granted ever again. He felt extremely weak, and his lower half still burned slightly. It also felt off; there was a bit of coldness where he was sure there shouldn't be, but he couldn't seem to feel his muscles at the moment. Slumping against Rei's strong chest, he allowed his friends to pull him to shore, which thankfully wasn't too far away.

Stars twinkled above them as the two merboys helped their prince onto the sandy beach as far as they could, laying him on his back and letting him breathe. They both huffed with their exertion, catching their own breaths and waiting until they were sure they could interrogate the raven-haired boy.

"Haruka!" Nagisa shouted, using the boy's full first name for the first time in his life. "What were you thinking?! That was _Rin_! He could've hurt you so much worse! How could you be so stupid?!"

Haru, finally slowing his gasping for air, turned his head to stare at Nagisa. "Makoto." He huffed, staring at the night sky.

Rei and Nagisa were quiet, knowing any argument wasn't going to get them anywhere. After a few moments, Haru pushed himself up, sitting up gingerly and glancing down at his lower half. Where his tail had been was now a pair of pale, strong muscled legs, like those of the human swimmers he'd seen competing at the celebration when he'd seen Makoto for the second time in his life. He still couldn't feel them well, but he figured he'd learn to use them soon. He was quite shocked, looking up with silent wonder at his friends.

They both gasped at the same time, causing Haru to arch a brow.

Nagisa pointed timidly. "H-Haru-chan…" he muttered, caressing underneath Haru's right eye. "What happened to your eyes?"

Rei's own violet eyes were wide, unable to mask his disbelief. "You gave him your eye color?!" he exclaimed, mouth gaping. Nagisa gasped again beside him, whipping his blond head between his friends.

Haru remained silent, merely shrugging. "Makoto is worth it," he stated simply, glancing off to his side.

Rei shook his head. "Haru, is Makoto even going to realize it's you without your eye color?" he asked quietly. "I'm sure you physically look the same, but humans don't really see what we _look _like because they're too distracted by the color and the magic that draws them in."

Haru frowned at that, suddenly extremely uneasy. Rei was right – it had been his ocean-blue eyes that caught Makoto's attention in the first place; it's what all mermaids' eyes did. He knew if he ran into Makoto the boy would treat him kindly like he would anyone because that was just the type of person he knew Makoto to be. But, would he connect Haru with _mermaid _Haru?

He could only hope Makoto was different somehow.

He shook his head, clearing it off all his worried thoughts. "It doesn't matter," he said firmly, staring defiantly into his friends' eyes. "I've only got a week to make him fall for me; I don't want to waste my time worrying about whether or not he'll recognize me immediately. I've got to try."

His friends shared a look before nodding slowly at him.

"Then we'll help Haru-chan in any way we can!" Nagisa exclaimed, smiling brightly. Rei nodded in agreement.

Haru gave them each a small smile before looking down at himself again. The legs were definitely weird, as well as the new addition between them. He knew that was the anatomy of a human male, but he still couldn't help the slight embarrassed blush that flushed his pale cheeks at the realization he was now sitting _naked _on a beach.

Suddenly from his right all three of them heard voices, whipping their heads to the side to see figures coming towards them. Haru looked back at his friends and nodded, silently telling them to disappear. Rei understood and grabbed Nagisa, dragging him back out to the depths, far enough to not be spotted immediately in the dark but close enough to still make out what happened with Haru.

Haru simply sat where he was, unsure as to what to do. He hoped he was good at improvisation.

The figures almost seemed familiar as the dark-haired teen watched them, one tall and lean, with broad shoulders, and the other shorter and skinny, seeming much bouncier. Haru's eyes widened as he recognized the glowing emerald eyes landing on him in the moonlight.

_Oh, gods. Makoto. _

What were the odds?

He also recognized the silver-haired boy that had been talking to Makoto on the ship, though he hadn't heard a name. He remained still and silent as the duo approached him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Makoto's voice drifted to him as the tall teen jogged up, looking him with concern. "What are you doing out here so late?"

Haru couldn't think. He was mesmerized once again by those crystal green orbs, lost in their depths. Realizing he'd been asked a question, he managed to keep an impassive, bored expression intact as he quickly thought of something. "Swimming," he replied, gazing out at the ocean to escape the warm gaze of the other teen.

"In the middle of the night?" Makoto ask incredulously. He glanced at the young teen, immediately averting his eyes when he realized the dark-haired boy was not clothed. "U-Um… Oh…" He stuttered with his next words, flushing darkly. "You're not dressed!" he blurted in a panic.

Haru looked back up at him, raising an eyebrow before glancing down at himself. "Hm," he hummed in agreement.

Being the gentleman he was, Makoto immediately shrugged out of his jacket, bending down to wrap it around the pale shoulders of the shivering teen. He absently moved some of the dark strands hair out of the boy's face to look at him closer. He looked familiar and Makoto couldn't figure out why. He felt the urge to look into his eyes, as if that would solve the mystery. Brushing the strands back, he was met with a shocking image: the boy's eyes were void of color, a dully illuminated grey reflecting the moonlight and seeming a bit more silver. A wave of disappointment washed through him, as if he'd been hoping for something else.

"How'd you get out here?" he asked softly, tilting his head slightly as he gazed at the boy. He was pretty cute, but he still felt something was missing.

Haru looked into Makoto's eyes, blushing profusely from the closeness of the boy he loved being _right there, _and yet so far away. It was obvious Makoto didn't recognize him, and he couldn't help the sharp sting of pain that coursed through his chest. He remained silent, unsure of an excuse that would sound believable. "My friends dragged me here," he said truthfully, omitting the fact that his friends were mercreatures and saving his life from drowning. "We love swimming in the night." He broke eye contact to gaze out at the ocean again. "We don't ever have anywhere else to go."

Makoto's smile was bright and radiant as he stood back up, holding out a hand. "Well, it's really late, so why don't you come back with me and we'll get you some clothes to where, hm?"

Haru stared at the hand before cautiously reaching out to take it, pulling on it to stand up. He could now feel the limbs attached to his hips, but he wasn't sure how efficient he was going to be using them yet. Standing upright gave him the sickening feeling of vertigo, and he stumbled into the taller teen's chest.

Makoto caught him easily, figuring he must be tired from swimming so late. "C'mon," he cooed, turning and heading back over to Aiichirou, who had stood back and simply observed the pale teen sitting naked in the ocean. "You look tired. Sleep will probably do you some good."

Haru simply nodded, wobbling as he moved forward. He eventually got the hang of it and was surprised to find his legs worked extremely well even with the vertigo. At least Rin hadn't skimped on adequacy.

Makoto gestured to the silver-haired boy as they approached. "This is Aiichirou," he said in introduction, the boy smiling and waving.

Haru nodded, biting his lip as he pushed another wave of nausea down . "N-Nice to meet you," he mumbled.

Makoto paused, looking worriedly down at the teen before scooping him up in his arms.

Haru yelped, clinging tightly to the other's neck as he was suddenly cradled against a broad chest.

The three made their way up the beach to the town and down the stone streets to a grand mansion at the end. As they approached the doors, Makoto looked down to the boy in his arms. "I don't think I introduced myself," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Makoto. What's your name?"

Haru's heart stopped at the question. It was the same as _that _day thirteen years ago. He bit his lip, knowing he needed to respond and finally doing so reluctantly as he felt himself losing consciousness in the arms of the boy he loved.

"Haru."


	4. Part Three

"_I'm Makoto. What's your name?"_

_Haru's heart stopped at the question. It was the same as _that _day thirteen years ago. He bit his lip, knowing he needed to respond and doing so reluctantly as he felt himself losing consciousness in the arms of the boy he loved. _

_"Haru." _

. . .

Makoto stumbled at the response, almost dropping the boy in his arms at the familiar name. He stared down in disbelief. "H-Haru?!" he exclaimed, eyebrows nestling in his hairline and making his jade eyes seem much bigger. Unfortunately, the raven-head was completely limp in his hold, his breathing even and eyelashes kissing his cheeks signaling his reprieve from reality, so he did not answer.

Makoto frowned helplessly, adjusting his hold on the slim body, subconsciously tucking Haru closer to his chest as he made his way up the grand steps to his home with a mildly concerned and questioning Aiichirou next to him, holding the door to allow the taller teen to carry the unconscious boy inside.

"Mako-chan?" the silver-haired boy queried as the two with sleeping teen made their way up the wide staircase. "Are you alright? Do you know him?"

Makoto's head whipped to the side to glance at his friend, a kind, reassuring smile spreading tiredly across his lips. "I'm fine, Aiichirou," he murmured softly, wary of waking the slumbering being in his arms. He looked down at said being, watching with rapture as Haru's eyes moved rapidly behind his closed lids. He wondered briefly what the dark-headed boy was dreaming.

"I can't say for sure that I know him," he continued, answering his friend's second question, "but his name is definitely one I've heard _somewhere._" He grimaced. "I feel like I should know someone with that name."

Aiichirou hummed in thought, quickly darting ahead down the corridor to open the doors to his friend's room. The taller teen entered the dark room, immediately heading for the king-sized plush bed in the far corner and gently laying the ebony-haired boy out on the mattress as not to wake him. He seemed to be a deep sleeper, however, and simply rolled onto his side with a light groan, pulling the dirty-blond with him by the front of his shirt. Said dirty-blond yelped, just catching himself before all his weight fell onto the form below him.

He chuckled to himself. "Haru-chan, you need to let go of me," he chided absently, gingerly sliding his fingers between the article of clothing and the pale fingers that were starting to finally warm up now that their owner was inside. He frowned yet again at the natural, familiar feel of the name rolling smoothly off his tongue, but he couldn't remember _why _it felt that way.

The tall teen managed to disentangle himself and push up off the bed with minor jostling, turning to the silver-headed boy waiting patiently by the foot of the bed. "C'mon, Aiichirou," he said, gesturing with his head. "We need to get some sleep, too. We'll worry more about this in the morning."

Aiichirou smiled tiredly, nodding in agreement. "Sure." He pouted for a moment. "Are you wanting to sleep somewhere else tonight?" he inquired, tilting his head.

Makoto pursed his lips in thought, looking back down at his bed. He smiled gently as he gazed at the sleeping teen curled up in the soft down duvet. "I think I'll be fine here for tonight," he replied, looking back at his friend. "We'll get him a guest room tomorrow."

Aiichirou nodded and turned on his heel, heading for the door. "See you tomorrow, Mako-chan."

Makoto nodded absently as he heard the door quietly click shut before letting a deep sigh fall from his lips, walking over to his wardrobe and swiftly changing into something more comfortable for slumber. Approaching the bed, he gingerly crawled onto it, settling comfortably into the comforter on his side facing the sleeping boy. He gazed mutely, simply watching Haru sleep. He caught himself zoning out at the luminescent glow of the boy's pale skin in the moonlight, contrasting wonderfully with his dark hair and oddly enough giving the a certain allure to the simple monochrome that he was.

Once again, he was struck with the nagging sensation that something was off; deep inside, in the recesses of his mind, Makoto felt that not only had he heard the name "Haru" before, but that he should know this boy in front of him. He looked closer, scrunching his forest-green eyes as he let them roam over the teen's visage. The features seemed familiar: the slender nose, the bow-shaped lips in a light shell pink, the long dark lashes that brushed his delicate cheekbones, and of course the soft, feather-like dark ebony strands of hair that framed and fell in his face.

But he couldn't remember.

Timidly, the dirty-blond teen reached a hand out, skimming lightly over the soft skin of Haru's cheek, smiling faintly as he caressed the contours of the boy's jawline. "I should know you," he whispered, more to himself than anything. "Why do you seem so familiar, Haru-chan?"

Said boy stirred lightly in his sleep, subconsciously tucking himself closer to the taller teen next to him. Makoto froze, worried that he woke him, but relaxed immediately when gentle snores began to fill the air. Adjusting himself, Makoto dared to wrap an arm around the slim waist of the raven-head, nuzzling into the dark locks. He breathed deeply twice before closing his eyes and smiling tenderly.

"Goodnight, Haru-chan."

. . .

Nagisa was, to put it gently, _flipping out. _

Rei sighed yet again, letting his face fall into his hand as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, listening to the hyperactive blond merboy yap incessantly, the never-ending string of jumbled words and sounds emitting from his loud mouth making about as much sense after the umpteenth hour as it did after the first five minutes. The cobalt-haired merboy was pretty sure what the blond was saying was nothing more than a variation of "what was Haru-chan thinking?!" and, just the same as the first time Nagisa had asked, Rei still had no answer.

To describe his patience as _thin _would be a grave understatement eliciting not only a deadpan glare, but also a slap upside the head.

Huffing and glancing up to see his overly-energetic friend continuing the aimless path he'd been swimming for the last several hours, rose eyes wide and panicked and hands tugging at blond curls, the indigo-headed merboy finally decided he'd had enough and that Nagisa's franticness was not doing the poor merboy any good; he moved forward to catch the smaller merboy in his arms, tucking the head of golden hair under his chin and commencing to rub soothing circles into the merboy's back.

"Nagisa," he chided softly, "you need to calm down."

The coral-tailed merboy, initially frozen at the unexpected contact and admittedly rare gestures of affection, pushed away and gazed worriedly at his friend. "But Rei-chan!" he complained, biting his lip. "How can you say that?! Haru-chan's a _human!_ He went to see _Rin!_" His eyes widened further, tears beginning to pool at the corners. "_His eye color is GONE." _

Rei sighed, pulling the merboy back to his chest. "And you pointlessly yammering away in circles is helping how?" He snorted. "We need to be calm and think this through," he said, adjusting his scarlet frames to sit right in front of his violet orbs. "I need you to be calm, Nagisa; can you do that?"

Nagisa sniffed and nodded in acquiescence, wrapping his slim arms around his indigo-tailed friend. "Sorry, Rei-chan."

Rei smiled softly. "I'm just as worried as you, Nagisa," he murmured, continuing to rub circles on the younger merboy's back, "but Haru wanted us to help him obtain Makoto's affection to end the spell… curse…" He paused, shaking his head. "… whatever it is that Rin did."

The blond merboy sighed, tucking his head farther under Rei's chin. "Yeah," he agreed, smiling forlornly. "We've gotta help Haru-chan get Mako-chan to love him!"

He didn't sound as enthused as normal, but Rei nodded in agreement nonetheless, resting his chin on the soft locks of his friend and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. "It'll be okay, Nagisa," he comforted, willing himself to believe his own words. "We won't let Haru down."

Nagisa nodded silently, hoping with all his might that Rei-chan was right.

. . .

Beams of sunlight fell across his face, stirring Haru from his slumber as he attempted to avoid the invading and unwanted light. He rolled over, whining childishly and burying his face deeper into the warm blankets that smelled of the ocean and fresh, clean rain. A source of warmth shifted next to him, and he felt light touches brushing along his cheek, a soft chuckle gracing his ears. That chuckle was familiar and welcomed, and it brought a faint smile to his lips.

"Do you typically sleep all day, Haru-chan?" a gentle voice asked, a teasing undertone sliding through.

Haru cracked open one dull-grey iris, gazing evenly back into bright shining emeralds that sparkled pleasantly in the sunlight streaming into the room. He felt his breath catch at the sight of the jade-eyed boy laying propped up on his arm, light-hearted smile gracing his features. Haru drank in his face for a moment before closing his eye once again and nuzzling farther down into the duvet.

Makoto chuckled again. "Shall I assume that's a 'yes'?" He sighed happily and pushed himself up, sliding out of the bed and padding over to the door to answer the soft knocking that had come. Opening the dark mahogany slab of wood, he smiled at Aiichirou, the boy's hands full with varying items of clothing for their guest.

"Good morning, Mako-chan!" he chirped brightly, entering with a slight bounce in his step. "I've brought some things for Haru to try on, so we can see what fits."

The tallest teen followed behind the silver-haired boy after shutting the door again, seating himself on the foot of the bed. "Thank you, Aiichirou," he said, glancing back at the bundle that was Haru. Dark hair was peeking out at the top near the pillows, blank grey orbs watching the others with expressionless interest. Makoto grinned widely. "He appreciates it."

Aiichirou returned the grin, letting the garments fall beside his dirty-blond friend before sorting through them, separating the shirts from the trousers.

Makoto watched Haru with an expectant expression.

Haru simply gazed back.

The tallest teen sighed. "Haru-chan, you're going to have to get out of bed so we can see what fits you."

The dark-headed teen remained silent, face impassive as he watched the silver-haired boy rummaging through the clothes. After a couple of moments, he huffed and wiggled out of the duvet, throwing a glare at the emerald-eyed boy who simply watched him with puppy eyes. "Drop the '-chan'," he muttered, face flushing with a hint of red.

Makoto giggled. "Sorry, Haru."

Haru looked away, sliding his new legs around and out of the comforter, dropping them over the edge of the bed and placing them tentatively on the hardwood flooring of the room. He kept his focus on the ground as he thought about standing up, but then he remembered he was without clothes. His blush deepened and he looked intently out the warped glass windows letting the bright light into the room

Both Makoto and Aiichirou flushed the same color when they realized the situation as well, the silver-haired boy fumbling and stuttering as he dug for a pair of underpants for the dark-headed teen to wear. Makoto chuckled awkwardly as he turned his face away. Collecting all the garments required, Aiichirou brought the clothes to Haru, gesturing for him to head behind the dressing screen next to Makoto's wardrobe.

"I-I can help you dress, if you want," he piped up, grinning sympathetically at the stoic teen. "These can be a bit hard to put on if you're not used to wearing them," he explained.

Haru stared at him for a moment before nodding once, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet, managing to wobble over to the screen and collapse onto the bench next to the wall and wait for Aiichirou to tell him what to do.

The silver-headed boy set the clothes down next to him, picking up the smallest garment that Haru recognized as underpants. The boy held them out, bending down to help Haru stick his legs into them and pull them up, situating them comfortably on his hips. Now covered properly, Haru relaxed, feeling the fabric rub against him oddly, but not unbearably weird.

Next, Aiichirou presented him with a pair of deep black trousers. Repeating his actions, the boy pulled up the pants to his hips once again, threading the drawstrings and tightening it accordingly. The pants hugged his muscled legs tightly but not uncomfortably. He figured he could get used to the sensation.

Motioning for Haru to stand, the ebony-haired teen complied, watching as Aiichirou pulled out a light, off-white shirt, the sleeves long and flaring minutely around the cuffs. The boy slid his arms into the sleeves, dragging the cloth up his back to rest on his shoulders before turning him around to tend to the many buttons running on the front. The sleeves hung long on his arms and the collar was a bit ruffle-y for his tastes, but it would work. On impulse, Haru grabbed the end of a sleeve and began rolling it, shortening it to his elbow before repeating the process with his other arm.

The last garment Aiichirou held out was a waistcoat, black on the back and a deep sapphire on the front. Haru stared at it, lost in the color and remembering how his eyes had once been similar to it, gazing down and away and clenching his fist. He'd done this for Makoto, and he wasn't going to give up that easily. Holding out his arms, he allowed the boy to slide it on him, buttoning the front before standing back and appraising him.

"Not bad, Haru," he praised, smiling widely. "You make a great royal."

Haru pouted, huffing and crossing his arms. Considering he _was _a royal, he should hope so. Before walking away, Aiichirou helped Haru into a pair of stockings and boots, finishing off his ensemble and dragging him out to face Makoto.

The teen smiled brightly, giving him a once-over and chuckling. "You look good, Haru-chan," he complemented, tilting his head and letting his eyes sparkle. "Just like a prince."

Haru felt his face flush again, looking away with a sniffle. "Drop the '-chan'," he muttered half-heartedly.

The jade irises shined and his smile was gently apologetic. "Sorry, Haru."

The three boys stood in silence for a moment, Haru staring out the window, Aiichirou shuffling his feet nervously and Makoto rubbing his neck awkwardly as he attempted to think of something to do. The grey-eyed boy had slept late enough to miss breakfast, and lunchtime wouldn't be for another several hours. Glancing out the window himself, the dirty-blond gazed at the rooftops of the surrounding city, thinking contentedly on the different shops and sites that were there to visit. Liking the sound of that idea, Makoto turned his green eyes on the raven-haired boy.

"Haru, would you like to see the city?" he asked with his signature smile, gaining the attention of the boy. "With the celebration still going on, there'll be more vendors than normal with all kinds of different things to see."

Haru gazed at Makoto, contemplating the offer. It's not like he had anything better to do, and it would give him a chance to grow closer to the emerald-iris boy. Plus, this was day one of seven; if he wasted too much time simply sitting around, he wasn't going to get anywhere and he'd end up a mermaid without the color of his eyes for the rest of his long mermaid life. He finally nodded once, just a slight tilt of his chin, but he could tell that the dirty-blond-haired boy could see his curiosity in his dull orbs.

Makoto's smile was bright and happy as he turned to his silver-headed friend.

Aiichirou shook his head. "I'll let you two enjoy yourselves," he said, glancing between grey eyes and green. "I've got chores to attend to, anyway."

Makoto nodded in understanding and turned to Haru, gesturing to the door. "Come on, then, Haru-chan," he said, smile soft. "Let's go see what they've got. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun."

Haru simply shrugged, walking shakily to the door, finding his rhythm as Makoto led him outside. "I thought I told you to drop the '-chan'," he mumbled to himself, huffing when Makoto simply chuckled.

They both knew he didn't mind it at all.

. . .

The redheaded warlock watched through the dais with bemusement as his dark-headed rival wandered down cobblestone streets with his tall, dirty-blond beau, same impassive expression on his face as he always had as the taller boy pointed and exclaimed in what he could imagine was a highly excited voice at the many travelling vendors and their goods. He snickered haughtily. "Gods, Haru," he sneered, his shark-like teeth glinting in the low light of his cavern. "Could you have fallen for a bigger pussy?"

"He seems nice enough," his sister commented, gazing longingly at the two boys and sighing.

Rin rolled his crimson eyes. "That's my fucking point," he scoffed, shaking his head. "He's _too _nice." He let the word roll off his tongue like acid. He glared back at the lifeless irises of his former childhood friend, smirking to himself as he absently twirled the goggles that held the oceanic color in his fingers.

His sister snorted, tossing her long scarlet hair and crossing her arms. "You're being childish," she chided, shooting him a half-hearted glare.

He raised an eyebrow, the rest of his expression deadpan. "Childish?" he parroted.

She sighed again. "Yes, _childish,_" she affirmed with purpose.

He sniffed, turning his face away from her with a pout. As ruthless as he was known to be, if he had to be honest: his sister scared the living shit out of him when she was annoyed or angry. And she was giving him hints that she was definitely annoyed.

"Whatever," he huffed, looking back at the dais that let him watch Haru. The expressionless boy seemed to be enjoying himself, glancing around at all the things he'd only ever heard of about the world above the ocean. His grey orbs were wide with muted wonder, his hair whipping about his face as he turned his head this way and that to take in all the sites. He could see the taller teen's mouth moving, no doubt describing different uses for the objects he would hold up and possibly stories behind his own experiences with said objects.

However, the raven-haired teen didn't seem to be trying to make a move on the other, which was supposed to be the whole point of him being up there. Sure, he had six days after, but anything could happen within that time, so him putting it off even for a moment was not helping him. Rin shook his head, wondering why he'd even been worried about Haru actually accomplishing the asinine goal.

Rin's victory in this battle between them was pretty much inevitable.

. . .

The sun was just kissing the horizon line when Haru followed Makoto back up the steps to the grand mansion that the sage-eyed boy called home. Finally getting to look at it, Haru was fairly impressed. The manor was three stories of dark stone towering into the sky, Corinthian columns lining the front from the base to the top of the first floor. The warped-glass windows spanned the height of the walls, set at regular intervals along the width, pale off-white curtains draped on the inside with the coming of evening. Several chimney stacks rose up from the charcoal shingles on the roof, a few of them emitting black columns of smoke that signaled the cooking of food from the kitchens.

The inside was just as grand, with marbled tiles composing the floor, reflecting the soft candlelight from the chandeliers and candelabras lining the ceiling and walls. A long, wide staircase with dark-wood stairs covered in a deep purple carpet let up the center of the far wall to the second floor. The walls were a warm honey-colored wood, blanketed in painstakingly crafted paintings and stone busts of random men and women.

"Haru?"

Said boy pulled himself out of his musings, glancing towards the source of his softly murmured name, seeing viridian orbs glint with a question not asked aloud:

_Are you hungry? Dinner is going to be served soon. _

Haru gave a single nod, letting Makoto lead him to the dining area that was down the hallway to the right. Its decorations were similar to the rest of the mansion, dark purple carpet and honey-colored walls, floor-to-ceiling windows with their off-white drapes pulled back to let in the last rays of the sunset, bathing the room in a warm glow.

Seating himself in the chair Makoto pulled out for him, Haru examined the pristine white tablecloth, set with arrangements of Calla Lilies – the centerpiece – and silver plates and utensils. He'd never had to use any of them, but he had been taught the basic concept of them. He trailed his fingers over the engraved metal, tracing the filigree patterns on the handles of the fork and spoon.

Makoto seated himself in the chair next to the dark-haired boy, watching with rapt attention as the teen fiddled with his plate, looking at it as if he'd never used one before. He chuckled to himself. "Haven't you seen a plate before, Haru-chan?" he asked with a laugh.

Haru glanced up at the dirty-blond, staring into his green eyes as a light blush of embarrassment flushed his cheeks. "Of course," he muttered, setting the round object back onto the table, eyeing it with a pout.

Makoto raised an incredulous brow, letting out a small giggle, tilting his head to rest it on a fist. He continued to watch Haru pick up and analyze the fork, followed by the spoon and then his knife. His chuckles couldn't be contained as the ebony-locked teen pushed his cloth napkin around, poking it with a wary finger. "It's a napkin, Haru-chan," he informed, taking it out of the boy's hands and flinging it open, showing him its use. "So you don't get food all over yourself."

At that moment, Aiichirou came bouncing in with trays of food, followed by another young man with bright cardinal hair and tanned skin, a wide smile on his face. "'Sup, Makoto?" he called, setting the platters he carried down on the table. He looked over to Haru, raising an eyebrow. "Who's the new guy?"

Makoto smiled back, looking over at his dark-haired friend next to him. "This is Haru," he replied, glancing at the flaming redhead. "Haru, this is Seijuurou."

Haru stared at Seijuurou, nodding in acknowledgement as the guy gave him a wide smile.

"Nice to meet ya, Haru," he said, moving with Aiichirou to serve the two their food. "Hope you like mackerel," he laughed, stepping back. "That's all we've got until the rest of the guys get back from their trip to the market after the celebrations."

Haru smiled faintly, glancing out of the side of his eye as he heard a groan emit from Makoto. Though that particular fish happened to be his favorite, it seemed the same could not be said for the emerald-iris boy.

"The celebrations are going to last for another week!" the dirty-blond complained, pouting as he stabbed his serving. "I'm going to get sick on this, aren't I?"

Haru chuckled softly, earning a bewildered glance from Makoto and a bright smile as the meal carried on in relative silence on the raven-head's part and friendly stories passed between the other three, Makoto describing his day out with Haru and saying how much fun he'd had showing him around and reassuring them that Haru had indeed enjoyed himself, despite the lack of enthusiasm he presented.

When they were done, Makoto led them back up to his room, Aiichirou assisting their de-robing and showing Haru to the baths. Having been out of water for an entire day, Haru had missed the feel of the calming liquid surrounding him, filling his pores and drowning out all his thoughts and worries. He submerged himself up to his chin for a while before taking a deep breath and submerging all the way, keeping his eyes closed as he sat under the water and concentrated on the soothing silence.

Unfortunately, he could not stay under for long, nor could he sit in the water forever; he found he was quite unhappy with the thought that he couldn't spend more than a couple hours in the tub without worrying about what Makoto had called "pruning" and the tall teen pestering him to get out before he made himself sick.

Allowing himself to be pulled out by the jade-orbed teen, he quickly dried off and donned the pair of sleeping undergarments he'd been given, following Makoto over to his bed and flopping over onto the duvet. He could feel the green gaze on him as he remained face-down in the blankets, breathing the scent of the boy standing across from him in over and over, committing it to memory.

_One day down, six to go. _

He felt the bed shift as the other sat down and immediately shifted to snuggle up to the taller boy's side. He felt the rumble of Makoto's chuckle as hesitant arms wrapped around him.

"Is Haru-chan a cuddler, then?"

He never got a response, for the pale teen with inky-black locks had succumbed to unconsciousness, his breathing deep and even and he nuzzled into Makoto's side. Makoto simply smiled at the adorableness that was Haru, running his fingers through the soft strands of midnight hair. "Sleep well, Haru-chan."

* * *

**Author's End-note: **I hope to have this finished by the end of the year. I'm editing the way I plan to do that right now, so look out for what will probably be the last part no later than December 31.

Much love. :3

~GarryxMrChairFan


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